Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:15 a.m. CST

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City man accused of attacking two people during the commission of several crimes was sentenced to 40 years in prison. The Sioux City Journal reports 36-year-old Eric Bishop was sentenced Monday for first-degree burglary and willful injury. As part of a plea deal last month, prosecutors dropped 10 other felony charges against Bishop.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — When asked whether she supports further restrictions to Iowa’s gun laws, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the federal government needs to take responsibility in discussing gun legislation. Reynolds told reporters Monday “the federal government has to play a role” in deciding possible firearm restrictions. That includes examining background check requirements. She declined to comment more specifically on Iowa’s gun laws, calling them reasonable and responsible.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Some Iowa City elementary students are urging the school district to recognize Muslim holidays, and board members say they’re willing to consider the request. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports several students proposed the idea at a school board meeting last week. They suggested the district schedule days off for the holidays of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Board member Ruthina Malone says the board can consider accommodating major holidays celebrated by Jewish and Muslim students.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of high school students have left their Iowa City classrooms to send a message: School shootings must stop. Students from at least three schools walked Monday to a gathering spot in downtown Iowa City. Speaking through a megaphone, a student speaker read the names of the 17 victims of last week’s Parkland, Florida, shooting. The other students repeated the names in unison.

A woman from Odebolt died from injuries she suffered during a collision Sunday evening, in northwest Iowa’s Ida County. The Iowa State Patrol reports 22-year old Destiny Rain Gritten died after being transported from the scene by helicopter to a hospital. The accident happened at around 5:30-p.m., when a 2004 Chevy truck driven by Gritten, failed to stop at the intersection with County Road L-51.

Her truck was struck by an eastbound 2017 Freightliner semi, driven by 40-year old Daniel Anderson, of Firth, ID. Anderson was not injured in the crash. Both vehicles came to rest east of the intersection.

Court records show former Cass County 9-1-1 Director Rob Koppert is tentatively scheduled to appear in U-S District Court in Council Bluffs on April 9th, with regard to an alleged Child Pornography charge. Robert “Rob” D. Koppert was charged with Possession of Child Pornography, after agents with the FBI visited his home on Plum Street July 24th, and executed a search warrant. Koppert tendered his resignation that same day.

Court Records for U-S District Court in the Southern District of Iowa, allege Koppert, knowingly possessed one or more matters which contained visual depictions that had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, by any means including by a computer, the producing of such visual depictions having involved the use of a minor, i.e., any person under the age of eighteen years, engaging in sexually explicit conduct and said visual depictions of such conduct, and involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who had not attained the age of 12 years of age.

Koppert had served as the Cass County 9-1-1 Director since the mid-1990’s.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — When asked whether she supports further restrictions to Iowa’s gun laws, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the federal government needs to take responsibility in discussing gun legislation.

Reynolds told reporters Monday “the federal government has to play a role” in deciding possible firearm restrictions. She says that includes examining background check requirements. She declined to comment more specifically on Iowa’s gun laws, calling them reasonable and responsible.

Reynolds announced a suspicious activity reporting campaign at the state Capitol press conference following last week’s school shooting in Florida. Iowa public safety agencies will partner with the federal government to promote the campaign.

Reynolds says preventing mass shootings cannot be only about guns and should happen in “a holistic manner,” including reporting suspicious activity and improving mental health care.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of high school students left their Iowa City classrooms, Monday, to send a message: School shootings must stop. Students from at least three schools — City High, West High and South East Junior High — walked Monday to a gathering spot in downtown Iowa City. By 11:45 a.m., an estimated 200 students were chanting in front of the Old Capitol building. Some carried signs decrying gun violence.

Speaking through a megaphone, a student speaker read the names of the 17 victims of last week’s Parkland, Florida, shooting. The other students repeated the names in unison.

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa State Patrol has some helpful tips for motorists with icy weather moving across much of the state over the next couple of days:

• Reduce your speed to the condition of the road;
• Increase your following distance;
• Use extra caution in the areas accelerating/decelerating (on ramps, off ramps, intersections);
• Anticipate – look up the road when traveling;
• Speed limit(s) are designed for ideal conditions: Traveling 70 mph on dry pavement, requires an overall stopping distance of around 350ft.; Travelling 50 mph on dry pavement, requires an overall stopping distance of around 198ft.

Accident info.: Feb 5th pile-up near Ames involved 70 vehicles.; Feb 12th pile-up south of Huxley involved over 90 vehicles.

Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson is reporting four recent arrests. On Friday, officers arrested 23-year old Samantha Jensen, of Atlantic, on a Cass County warrant for Probation Violation. And, 23-year old Justin Patton, of Liberal KS., was arrested on two counts of  Interference with Official Acts, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Driving Under Suspension.

On Friday, Atlantic Police arrested 24-year old Jacob Sweeney, of Atlantic, on a Cass County warrant for probation violation. And, 46-year old Jennifer Heath, of Atlantic, was arrested for OWI. All subjects were brought to the Cass County Jail, and booked-in.

(12-p.m. News)

A former accounting clerk for the city of Johnston is now facing multiple charges for allegedly stealing city funds. A special investigation by the State Auditor found more than 13-thousand dollars ($13,569) in city money handled by Teresa Osburne that was not deposited into the city’s bank account.

The audit found the money was primarily cash collections from the library, farmers market and the parks department for senior citizen bus trips. The spokesperson for the city says police filed five felony counts for theft and felonious misconduct in office, and two other misdemeanor counts for theft and fraudulent practices. Osburne turned herself in at the Johnston Police Department this morning and was booked into the Polk County Jail.

The city says it has taken several steps to improved security procedures following the state audit.

(Radio Iowa)

Many schools and businesses are closed in northwest Iowa, not because of the Presidents’ Day holiday but due to the wintry weather. Two rounds of freezing rain are expected over the next 24 hours that’ll coat a wide section of Iowa in a layer of ice. Meteorologist Alex Krull, at the National Weather Service, says many roads are already in poor condition. “We currently have freezing drizzle out in northwest Iowa,” Krull says. “Significant ice accumulations are already occurring. We have several reports of roads that are 100% ice-covered. In Carroll and Pocahontas counties in northwest Iowa, we’ve had emergency managers report that the roads are completely impassible.”

Temperatures are warmer in central and southern Iowa, at least for the moment, and most of the precipitation that’s now falling is just rain, but that won’t be the case after the sun goes down. “Round two this evening, we’re expecting to start after 9 PM which will impact more of southwest, west-central, central and northeast Iowa,” Krull says. “As temperatures drop below freezing, we’re expecting precipitation and substantial ice accumulations that will continue into Tuesday morning where we’re expecting implications for some travel hazards.”

That second round of freezing drizzle may be much more serious as it will cover areas of the state with larger population centers. “We’re looking for more ice accumulations along a line essentially from Des Moines up through Marshalltown, Waterloo and into Decorah,” Krull says. “We’re looking at anywhere from 15/100ths to 25/100ths of an inch of ice in that area. We’re definitely concerned as this will be impacting the Tuesday morning rush hour commute as well.” Heavy ice that coats trees could bring down limbs onto power lines and cause outages, while all roads, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways will be exceptionally slippery.”If you must drive during this event, make sure you give yourself extra time,” Krull says. “Leave plenty of room between you and the other vehicles around you as well as give our snow plows plenty of room to do their operations as well.”

Keep close tabs of road conditions at the Iowa Department of Transportation travel website, 5-1-1-i-a-dot-org or get updated forecasts from the National Weather Service at weather-dot-gov.

(Radio Iowa)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Some Iowa City elementary students are urging the school district to recognize Muslim holidays, and board members say they’re willing to consider the request. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports several students proposed the idea at a school board meeting last week. They suggested the district schedule days off for the Muslim holidays of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.

Fifth-grader Reem Kirja says she wants other students to know both holidays are times for families to get together, similar to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Board member Ruthina Malone says the board can explore the feasibility of accommodating major holidays celebrated by Jewish and Muslim students.

The board has time to decide, as neither Eid Al-Fitr nor Eid Al-Adha fall on a school day until the 2020-2021 school year.